Breaking Bad : 20 Reasons We Loved It

“This is not meth”. Walt’s transformation from middle-aged High-School teacher, husband and father to a criminal mastermind and drug kingpin begins in this episode; he wrecks revenge on Tuco over the beating of Jesse and theft of their meth with “a little tweak of chemistry”.

The Acid Bath/“Cat’s In The Bag . . .” (Season 1)

Disposing of a dead body was never going to be a pleasant affair, but thanks to Jesse’s blatant disregard of Mr White’s instructions, we find out first-hand just how unpleasant it can be in one of the series’ golden dark comedy moments. There’s a reason you don’t pour hydroflouric acid into a bathtub, you know . . .

Jane’s Death/“Phoenix” (Season 2)

Played byKrysten Ritter,Jane Margolisquickly went fromJesse’slandlord to his girlfriend inSeason 2of the series. A recovering drug addict, it also didn’t take long for her to encourageJesseto graduate from smoking meth to injecting heroin and, she quickly proved to be a problem for Walter when she blackmailed him over Jesse’s share of their meth money. It was never going to end well but fans were stunned byJane’stragic demise; she choked on her own vomit whileWaltstood by and let her die. It was devastating forJesse, a turning point forWalter and the catalyst to a tragic chain of events . . .

Plane Crash/“ABQ” (Season 2)

“737”,“Down”,“Over” and “ABQ” were more thanseason 2episodes, they were a hint to the dramatic conclusion ofBreaking Bad’ssecond season; a devastating plane crash overAlberquerque. Gilligan teased this tragedy in a series of flash-forward clues of a singed teddy bear, forensics gathering and bagging evidence byWalterandSkylar’spool and two body bags lying on their front lawn. It kept fans guessing throughout, but no-one could have predicted the jaw-dropping outcome.

“Lies on top of lies on top of lies”/ABQ (Season 2)

“Which one?” asks a groggy Walter when Skylar asks if he brought his cellphone to the hospital for his surgery, confirming that he lied previously when he said he didn’t have a second cellphone. Skylar’s sulking after Walt’s op is predictable, she’s pissed about his cellphone lie, right? Wrong! We watched, mouth agape, when she reveals to Walt the extent of what she knows; Elliot never paid for any treatment, he never visited his mother when he claimed he did and he DID have a second cellphone after all . . . The words “shit” and “fan” come to mind, Walt.

“Run”/“Half Measures” (Season 3)

Jesseplots to take revenge on drug dealers who work forGus Fringover their involvement in his friend,Combo’smurder and for using young kids (including his girlfriend,Andrea’syounger brother,Tomas) to sell meth for them.Jesse’splans to poison them with ricin is foiled byMikeandVictor, andWalttries to talkJesseout of doing anything rash. An edge of your seat finale follows;Jesse, armed with a gun, heads out to take his revenge over Tomas . . . Only forWaltto take it for him. We’re as shocked asJesse whenWaltspeeds onto the scene, knocking down one dealer, before shooting the other in the head at point blank range, before deliveringJesseone instruction,“Run”.

Hank’s Attack/“One Minute” (Season 3)

“Two men are coming to kill you. You have one minute” is the warning that kicks off the bloodiestBreaking Bad battle of the series. The Salamanca twins ambush an unarmed Hank and we watched, riveted, as Hank fights for his life; pinning one twin between two cars and shooting the other. It marks the beginning of a tough journey for Hank as he struggles to recover, but is testament to his fighting spirit.

“I bought the place”/“Caballo Sin Nombre” (Season 3)

Jesse Pinkman’sdrug habits have put him on poor relations with his parents; they evict him from his Aunt’s former home when they discover a meth lab in the basement and spend a fortune renovating the house before putting it on the market. EnterSaul Goodman;WaltandJesse’sslick attorney who blackmailsMrandMrs Pinkman into selling the property to an unnamed client for half the asking price as allowance for failing to mention the meth lab in their disclosure statement. The looks on their faces are priceless whenJesseshows up the revamped house, keys in hand, and moves right back in.

“I am the one who knocks”/“Cornered” (Season 4)

Skylar’s concerns over Walt’s safety following the murder of Gale prompted one of the quintessential quotes of the entire series. We know who the danger is . . .

“Well, get back to work”/”Boxcutter” (Season 4)

Jesse and Walt are living in fear of the repercussion that Gale’s murder will bring for them, however, Gus’ reaction is nothing that we or they expected. While Jesse and Walt are being held in the lab by Mike and Victor, Gus arrives, and without saying a word, swaps his suit for a boiler suit and taking a boxcutter, calmly slits Victor’s throat; the usually mild-mannered, soft spoken Fring shows in this unexpected reaction just how dangerous he can be. Terrifyingly brilliant!

“Crawl Space” (Season 4)

“Intense” is one way to describe this season 4 episode. After being fired from the lab and had his entire family threatened by Gus, Walt decides to get Saul to contact the man who “helps people disappear”. However, Walt’s plan for a quick getaway are thrown into turmoil when he learns of Skylar’s ” spending” . . . What else is there to do but laugh?

Patience/”Salud” (Season 4)

Gus Fring is a patient man; it took 20 years, but he finally gets his revenge on the Mexican cartel including leader, Don Eladio Vuente, when he poisons them as revenge for executing his business partner, Max two decades before. He meticulously plans and executes his revenge and escape (complete with stand-by medical team) in one of the nail-biting sequences of the series.

“I won”/”Face Off” (Season 4)

It’s not the demise of Gus Fring that makes this episode one of the best of the Breaking Bad series, it’s the shocking revelation in the finale. It’s Walter, not Gus, who is unveiled as the one behind the poisoner of young Brock; it was a heart-stopping moment for fans of the series, it revealed just how far Walter was willing to go, no matter who, or what, the sacrifice.

Prison Killings/“Gliding Over All” (Season 5)

Nobody does a “clean-up” quite likeWalter White; following the death (or disposal) ofGus Fringand the surprise shooting ofMike,W.W arranges for the imprisoned men ofMike’sto be killed;Todd’suncle, Jackand his henchmen execute 10 men across 3 prison in just 2 minutes. Now, that’s how you clean house!

The Train Robbery/“Dead Freight” (Season 5)

“What if we can rip off that train, and no-one ever knows it got robbed?”It’sJessebright idea that providesBreaking Bad’sversion ofThe Great Train Robbery; WaltandJesserecruitToddto help them steal the meth undetected so as to avoid killing the train engineer and conductor. They pull it off with barely a hitch and viewers are practically high-fiving with them over a job well done! However, the reappearance of a young boy from earlier in the episode sours the mood and unveils just how evil Todd really is . . .

Hank finds out/“Gliding Over All” (Season 5)

The cliffhanger to end all cliffhangers left us all open-mouthed when a simple trip to the bathroom unveiledWalt’sbiggest secret. AWaltWhitmanbook and a flashback to an earlier conversation withWaltercomplete the puzzle and finally unveil theHeisenbergmystery to a stunnedHank.

DVD Confession/“Confessions” (Season 5)

Facing the prospect of prison now thatHankis aware of his true Heisenbergidentity,Walt makes it clear that he’s not going down without a fight when he givesHankandMariea“home movie”. In his DVD“confession”,Walt spins his version of “the truth”, which, thanks toWalterhaving paid forHank’smedical bills, sounds both credible and more probable than a High-School chemistry teacher being a big-time drug lord.

“Let me die in peace”/”Say My Name” (Season 5)

A heated confrontation between Mike and Walter leads to one of the most surprising and sad deaths of Breaking Bad; an enraged, Walt shoots Mike when he refuses to give him the names of his incarcerated men. Walt looks as shocked as we felt when he shoots Mike, wounding him fatally . . . Not before he gets the last word, of course.

“You’ll need a bigger knife”/“Felina” (Season 5)

“Don’t worry, beautiful people, this is your chance to make it right”Skinny Pete,Badgerand two laser pens helpWaltget his revenge on former colleagues,ElliotandGretchen Schwartz; he tricks the couple into believing they are under the threat of snipers who could strike at any time if they fail to ensure thatWalter Jrinherits the millions that Walthas made from cooking meth when he turns18. It’s a loose end we are happy to see Walt take care of. Priceless.

“I guess I got what I deserved”/”Felina” (Season 5)

Like all great things, Breaking Bad had to come to an end. The highest rated episode of the entire series saw Vince Gilligan give both Jesse and Walter fitting conclusions. Freed from the grip of Jack and Todd, Jesse flees, away from Walter and the meth business for good. Walter, having killed Jack and his henchmen and poisoned Lydia with the help of ricin, takes a nostalgic look at Todd’s lab with a smile on his face as police speed towards him and his gunshot wound overwhelms him as Badfinger poignantly sing, “I guess I got what I deserve . . .” The perfect end to a perfect series.